MEDIA mogul Rupert Murdoch thinks an Australian national broadband network will be a great thing for his pay TV provider.

BUT Mr Murdoch said the previous Labor government plan to build a nationwide, high-speed broadband network was ridiculous.

"People think I'm talking from my pocket and Foxtel," he told Sky News on Sunday. "In fact, NBN would be great for Foxtel because it would take all those programs into every home." But he is worried mobile technology has overtaken the need for the NBN. The News Corporation boss gave a lengthy interview on Foxtel channel Sky News to mark the 50th anniversary of his company's national newspaper, The Australian. He defended the paper's strong stance against the Rudd and Gillard governments, saying it was absolutely right. The powerful media figure said it was still too early to pass judgment on the Abbott government.
He has met Prime Minister Tony Abbott three or four times and described him as an admirable, honest and principled man. "However, how much does he understand the free market and what should be happening?" Mr Murdoch said. The wide-ranging interview also covered Australia's place in Asia, economic development, and Mr Murdoch's sceptical approach to climate change. "We can be the low energy country of the world ... but we shouldn't be building windmills and all that rubbish," he said.

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